The Spy Who – Episode 3: Disposable Hero

Podcast: The Spy Who
Hosts: Indira Varma & Raza Jaffrey
Date: November 11, 2025
Episode Focus: The extraordinary story of Morten Storm, a Danish spy who infiltrated Al-Qaeda, became instrumental in the hunt for Anwar Al Awlaki, and ultimately paid a heavy personal price. This episode tracks trust, betrayal, and the emotional toll of espionage from Storm’s undercover life, the assassination of Al Awlaki, his falling out with his handlers, and his final reckoning with the Western intelligence agencies he once served.

Main Theme

This episode delves into the “disposable” nature of spies when their handlers’ priorities change, following Morten Storm's dangerous double life as he navigates the treacherous spaces between jihadist terrorists and Western intelligence agencies. It explores Storm’s internal conflict, shifting alliances, and the psychological fallout from his time deep inside Al Qaeda.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Failed Courier Operation & Moral Conflict

• Setting: Sanaa, Yemen, August 2011 – Ramadan, Morten Storm executes a risky operation delivering a USB stick (planted with a CIA tracker) to Al Awlaki via his courier.
• Complications: The courier is stopped by police and destroys the USB before it reaches Al Awlaki, frustrating both Storm and the CIA.
• Moral Dilemma: Storm is troubled by the possibility that he could be directly causing the death of a former friend, but his doubts vanish when Al Awlaki requests hexamine (explosives) and information on ricin (biotoxins).

“Storm has to find a way to stop him.” (03:47)

2. The Death of Anwar Al Awlaki & Suspicions of Betrayal

• Timeline: September 2011 – Storm, now back in Europe, learns via news broadcast that Al Awlaki has been killed in a drone strike (09:35).
• Storm’s Reaction: Torn between relief, guilt, and frustration over his role and the possibility of a $5 million CIA payout.
• Betrayal Realized: A newspaper article describes the courier operation Storm set up as the key intelligence breakthrough, but the CIA claims his tip didn't help, apparently to avoid paying him.

“It has to be my tip off that led the CIA to Al Awlaki. But why would they lie about it? There's only one explanation. They want to weasel out of paying him.” (11:37)

3. Storm’s Confrontation with CIA and Fallout with Handlers

• Showdown: In a Danish hotel, Storm confronts “Michael” from the CIA about the reward and his feelings of betrayal.

Storm: “Who was the courier? ... The newspaper says you got him through a courier three weeks ago. That was my courier ... And you don’t even say thank you?” (13:04)
Michael (CIA): “I don’t know anything about a courier.”

• Outcome: Storm records the encounter, declares his intent to quit, and further damages trust with Danish intelligence (PET), who cut ties fearing political fallout over assassination involvement. (14:52)

4. Alone, Paranoid, and Back in the Field

• January 2012: Despite isolation, Storm heads to Yemen in a last bid to rebuild trust by targeting AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahashi.
• Operational Hazards: Storm almost compromises himself by carrying a USB containing proof of his spy activities, barely avoiding disaster.
• Doubts and Dangers: Storm faces an ultimatum: swear an oath to Al Qaeda, further straining his morale and identity as a double agent. (18:25)

5. Return to the Spy Game (and Risks of Double Cross)

• Deal-making: PET tentatively allows Storm to return, with direct CIA contact blocked; his work will route only through Danish intelligence.
• Renewed Suspicion: Both Storm and his supposed ally, Abdul, realize they’re being manipulated and possibly set up by their own handlers. Abdul admits to being a CIA asset, warning Storm the agency might kill him along with terrorist targets.

Abdul: “The CIA are going to kill you along with the terrorists if you travel with me.” (29:36)
Storm: “The only person who knows that I’m not a jihad but a spy is my mother. And who would listen to her?” (30:42)

6. Disillusionment, Exposure, and Need for Self-Preservation

• Refusing The Final Mission: After Abdul’s warning and CIA insistence Storm make a risky terror delivery himself, he refuses, fearing for his life.
• Severed Ties: PET cuts Storm loose, reneging on promised post-espionage employment.
• Decision to Go Public: Storm negotiates with Danish press to tell his side, feeling it’s the only way to protect himself by removing his “usefulness” to either side.

Storm: “I'll tell you why I'm going to tell this story. Because I no longer trust that I'm safe with you or the CIA. And I want my family and everyone else to know the truth about me.” (36:32)

7. Aftermath, PTSD, and Fallout for Intelligence Community

• Whistleblowing Impact: Storm’s revelations about Denmark’s role in Al Awlaki’s assassination spark political scandal and usher in new oversight.
• Personal Consequences: Storm is diagnosed with PTSD, receives modest damages, is targeted by jihadists, and lives in hiding. (37:34)
• Broader Legacy: The episode briefly covers the ongoing effects of Al Awlaki’s death and the continued, though diminished, danger of AQAP in Yemen.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Internal Conflict:
  “He keeps thinking of the many pleasant times he spent with Alalaki and how, if the tracker does its job, he will soon be responsible for his death.” (02:41)

• The Cost of Betrayal:
  “He puts his life on the line every day and they double cross him ... $5 million would mean a new life. One where he can stop lying and live as himself again. He won’t let the CIA take that from him.” (12:24)

• On Disposable Status:
  “He’s starting to realize he’s just as alone and vulnerable among these intelligence agencies as he is among the militant jihadists.” (14:18)

• Warning of Danger:
  Abdul (to Storm): “The CIA are going to kill you along with the terrorists if you travel with me ... It's connected to an electronic switch under the car seat ... They would say you were a terrorist like the others.” (29:36)

• Final Act of Defiance:
  “You've lied and I'm done with it. ... I want my family and everyone else to know the truth about me.” (36:48)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:-------------:|:---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16–04:25 | Storm's risky courier operation in Sanaa; moral reckoning | | 09:35–13:30 | Al Awlaki’s death, Storm’s suspicions of CIA betrayal | | 13:30–15:45 | Danish hotel: Confrontation with the CIA, rupture with handlers | | 16:56–19:55 | Storm’s return to field, risk of exposure and capture | | 23:14–31:28 | Abdul’s warning in China, Storm’s realization of own expendability | | 32:31–38:16 | Storm’s refusal to follow CIA orders; decision to go public; aftermath and exposure | | 38:16–39:14 | Epilogue: Storm’s later life, political and personal fallout |

Tone and Style

The narration blends suspense, psychological depth, and a cinematic sense of place. Raza Jafri’s delivery is taut and empathetic, inhabiting Storm’s anxious, often paranoid headspace, while maintaining a clear-eyed view of the dangerous duplicity at the heart of espionage.

Conclusion

This episode paints a raw, complex picture of the sacrifices, mental strain, and calculated duplicity in the world of intelligence. Morten Storm’s transformation from an undercover agent inside Al Qaeda to a whistleblower who exposed Western duplicity shows both the power and the peril of secret work. The episode sets up next week’s conversation with Storm himself, promising deeper firsthand insights into the costs of living a double life.

Next Episode Tease:
Raza Jafri reveals that in the next episode, Charlie Higson will interview Morten Storm—the real spy at the centre of the series—about what it was like to risk everything for a cause he once believed in.

Sources cited in the episode include the memoir Agent Storm: My Life Inside Al Qaeda and the CIA by Morten Storm with Paul Cruikshank and Tim Lister.